additives feature | Oxo-degradable debate
5009, “Specifi c requirements for the registration of oxo-biodegradable plastic bags and other biodegrad- able plastic objects.” In 2010, the SP Technical Research Institute of
Sweden, in the SPCR 141 Document, “Certifi cation rules for classifi cation for treatment of polymeric waste,” included an appendix relevant to “Polymeric waste degradable by abiotic & subsequent biological degradation – requirements & test methods.” In 2011, the British Standard Institute (BSI) pub- lished the BS Standard 8472 “Methods for the assess- ment of the oxo-biodegradation of plastics and of the phyto-toxicity of the residues in controlled laboratory conditions.”
Food containers and bags for household organic waste are marked “compostable” – a label that cannot be applied to products in oxo-degradable plastics (Source: European Bioplastics)
environment fl y here and there and accumu- late in water media with serious damage to fl ora and fauna.” Also false, as the oxidized
fragments of PE & PP become
wettable and stay on the soil or fl oat in the
water media, where they are digested by microor- ganisms to end up as carbon dioxide, water and biomass.
Generally speaking, the oxidized fragments biode-
grade in solid media (soil, composting plant) and aqueous media (rivers, lakes, brackish and marine waters). It is interesting to note that part of the carbon is converted to cell biomass and hence humic acids, thanks to the presence of carbon with a low oxidation number (mainly -2) in the oxidized fragments of polyolefi ns. The numerous scientifi c and technical fi ndings
regarding the oxidation followed by fragmentation and then environmental biodegradation of aliphatic full carbon backbone polymeric materials have promoted activities aimed at building up standards relevant to bio- degradable plastic items that are not compostable under the Standards ISO 14855-02, EN-ISO 13432-02, UNI-EN 14995-07 and ISO 17088-08. The ASTM subcommittee D20-96 issued in 2004 the ASTM D-6954 Standard Guide for “Exposing and testing plastics that degrade in the environment by a combina- tion of oxidation and biodegradation”. That directive is now under revision (ASTM 6954-13) aimed at the defi nition of test methods and relevant specifi cations. In 2009, the Arab Emirates Authority for Standardi- zation & Methodology introduced the UAE Standard
34 COMPOUNDING WORLD | August 2013
In 2012, the French AFNOR Standardization organi- zation issued an “agreement” document on “Plastics – assessment of oxo biodegradability of polyolefi nic materials in the form of fi lms – meth- odology and require- ments.”
Also in 2012,
Uniplast, the Italian body responsible for creating norms and specifi cations for plastics materials,
established a working group charged with preparing a technical
report on “Additives designed to promote the degrada- tion of polyolefi n thermoplastic materials.” That report, now at an advanced stage, should be prepara- tory to the fi nalization of a standard comprising test methods and specifi cation relevant to oxo-biodegrada- ble plastics. A new association, AssoEcoPlast, was formed in Italy
last year, with the aim of promoting and supporting the use of oxo-biodegradable materials and fi nished products. Activities are ongoing in the promotion of a “Certifi ed Trade Mark” for OBPs to be held by producers of pro-oxidant/pro-degradant additives, commercial agents and plastic converters. The initiative will help provide traceability of oxo-biodegradable plastic items and relevant additives. From these citations, it can be taken for granted that
oxo-biodegradable plastics will soon get a legal recognition for their exploitation in the various plastic commodity segments. Even though we are convinced supporters of OBPs,
we are not against bio-based plastic items, provided they are obtained from building blocks not interfering with feed and food chains and specifi cally used for an ultimate disposal in composting plants.
www.compoundingworld.com ’’
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